Hi-Point Carbine

You bought a what?" A Hi-Point Carbine in 9mm. "You’re kidding." No, I’m serious. "But, why?" That was pretty much how the conversation went with several of my friends. My answer, "Because I’ve heard so many conflicting reports on the gun, I decided to find out for myself" never seemed to make sense to them. The gun had been labeled apiece of junk by the gun gurus on the Internet, so it must be true. Most of them didn’t own one and many had never shot one but they knew how bad these were.

Like so many things we see on the Internet, they are often wrong but never in doubt. I started my adventure into the PC carbine world at a "zombie shoot" in Colfax, Iowa where event director Matt Pierce uses his vivid imagination to put on some of the most fun shoots I’ve ever attended. One of the classes allows the use of pistol caliber carbines and those folks were having so much fun with them I started to pay attention. As I asked around, I found most of the major entries in the category represented.

Beretta Storms, AR variants in 9mm, the Kel-Tec Sub2000, Well used, no sights, and what I call the "Planet of the Apes" stock. and my grandson with his first gun purchased in his name shortly after his 21st birthday, a lowly Hi-Point Carbine. In the last shoot we started seeing the first of the Ruger PC Carbines show up. The object of the game is to shoot about 20 zombie targets per stage as quickly as possible.

There are four stages so 80 rounds minimum as fast as you can shoot and hit the targets soon separates the reliable guns from the others pretty quickly. Naturally, every magazine change is a liability and a stoppage pretty much puts you out of the competition for first place but you still get to play for the rest of the day. As you might imagine it doesn’t take long to weed out the problem guns. Be careful not to change any angles. Understand this work voids the factory warranty.

As you might expect, the guns all held up pretty well with most stoppages due to failure of reloaded ammunition rather than the gun. At the end of the day, my grandson shooting his first competition finished in the top five with his Hi- Point and won his class at his second shoot beating his father with his Kel-Tec Sub2000. Don’t you just hate kids with their speed and coordination? Most importantly, his Hi-Point never misfed, misfired, or jammed.

With the 20-round Redball Sports (RedballSports.net, magazines, there was never a hiccup. Since then he has added just about every accessory on the market and if anew one comes out tomorrow, I’m sure he will add that as well. I documented the whole story on video at my You Tube channel, .45 Alpha Charlie Papa Channel. Search for the video titled "Custom $700 Hi- Point 995TS." Yes, it’s true, he has over $700 in the gun buying an accessory or two every payday.

That has brought us to one of the most surprising things to me. Here is yet another gun following in the footsteps of the 1911, Ruger 10/22, and AR-15 that has people

doubling or even tripling the price of the gun accessorizing it. A quick run-through at Gunbroker and several other sources gave me the following list. The cost of a Hi-Point Carbine runs from $236 to $425. Down Range Products (DownRangeProductsCo.com, items include a barrel shroud at $50, muzzle break $40, extended charging handle around $30 or less, and Picatinny rail at $60. Cheaper Than Dirt (Cheaper Than Dirt, lists Redball’s twenty rounders at $25, a magazine coupler at $22, and laser and mount at $150.

M*Carbo (Mcarbo.com, sells a Hi-Point trigger spring kit for $13. Hi-Point Firearms has ared dot sight for $26, forward grip for $25, custom shroud for $45, flashlight with mount at $26, and a replacement tactical stock for $41. Other stock options include a bullpup stock from High Tower Ar- The stock set includes anew forend and Picatinny rails for sights, lights, and lasers. for $250 and an ATI stock (ATIoutdoors.com, for $80.

That gives you some idea of the accessories currently available as well as how quickly you can have $700 or more in your "bargain" carbine. Naturally, you probably won’t buy all or even most of these aftermarket products but they are available to those that want them. Diverse aftermarket accessory options is indicative of a firearm’s popularity. Having been duly impressed with the reliability and accuracy of this bargain-basement carbine I just had to have one and see what I might accomplish with it.

I went on Gunbroker and bought a well-used original old Model 995 for just under $200 and got just what I paid for. A previous owner had cut down the front sight tower, removed the rear sight, put a Picatinny rail on it, and sold it to me without the red dot and just one factory ten-round magazine.

My first move was to or- I ordered anew style stock set, two Redball Sports 20 round magazines, and a flash hider. mory (HighTowerArmory.com, der a flash hider, two Redball 20round magazines, and the magazine loader to help get those last couple of rounds in the mags. The first trip to the range was an eye opener. Despite being well broken in the gun had the secondworst trigger I have ever experienced.

The worst was on a French Gras rifle that literally took two fingers in the guard to pull; I honestly couldn’t pull it with just the index finger. The trigger on the Hi-Point was not quite that bad but it was long, creepy, heavy, and extremely unpleasant. It was impossible to ascertain accuracy because long before the trigger broke, I had lost concentration on the red dot and was thinking about the trigger and whether it was ever going to go off.

It was more like the double-action pull on a cheap revolver than a rifle. I took it home, watched a couple of videos on disassembly and one from M*Carbo on You Tube showing how to install their trigger spring and was ready to go. The takedown procedure for such a simple rifle is not difficult but does have several steps. First, remove the flash hider if so equipped and then the front sight base. Both require an Allen wrench.

Remove the heat shield by sliding it forward and up, and then the charging handle with a 7/16 wrench. Next, take off the receiver shroud by removing the two through pins. This requires a screwdriver to push the retaining clip on the newer model and a wrench on the older model. Unscrew and remove the front sling

swivel and then the retaining clip on the bottom of the stock with a screwdriver. Remove the action from the stock by lifting the barrel up and forward and pull the roll pin from the rear of the receiver. Push the recoil shield back and up. Caution, the recoil spring is quite strong and you must keep control of the recoil shield as it is removed. Slide the firing pin retainer to the rear if you plan to clean or replace the firing pin. Remove the trigger pin (requires a pin punch) and then the trigger assembly.

Polish all contact points and remove all burrs. The Hi Point uses stamped parts and I found them very rough. A fine Arkansas stone removed the burrs quickly. Polish the sear while being careful not to change the angle or shape. The coil trigger spring is under the sear and appears to have once been used on a city bus. I rummaged around the shop and found a lighter spring with the same outside diameter but made with thinner wire. After cutting it to length, I installed it.

That’s OK if you’re the adventurous type and don’t mind disassembling and reassembling the gun over and over for thorough testing to be sure it will work safely. The smart move would be to order the replacement spring from M*Carbo for $13. You will find them online with a dandy video that takes you through all these steps. In the end, I was able to reduce the trigger pull from 12 pounds to 4-5 pounds with no problems in function so far.

The reduction was a combination of factors including the deburring of the trigger transfer bars as well as a reduced power sear spring. It is a job any reasonably experienced gunsmith should be able to accomplish. However, be aware that by doing this you will void the factory warranty. Of course, as with many manufacturers, you can void the warranty by shooting reloads or, in this case, using aftermarket magazines or stocks.

Overall, I was impressed with the little gun for what it is: a fun gun to shoot and basically a plinker. It is accurate enough out to 50 yards or so for small game if you insist and with a light would be a fine home defense gun in 9mm or .45 ACP. I found it reliable, rugged, and reasonably accurate. What more can you ask for in a gun that I was able to find advertised for under $300 new? AG American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.